On two occasions prior to booking this hunt and once after booking Sean Blair of Blair Worldwide Hunting personally told me when I asked what I could reasonably expect to see for numbers and size of bears that I would see two or three large bears every day and that I should not shoot a bear under 9 foot until the 5th or 6th day. I possibly saw one bear that might have squared 9 foot during the entire hunt. At the guide's insistance I shot a 5 foot 2 inch bear and this was the only bear that I had an opportunity to harvest.

SERVICE
RATINGS (excellent, good, fair or poor)

Quality
of Outfit:

Poor

Guide/PH
Ability:

Poor

Condition
of Camp:

Poor

Condition
of Equipment:

Poor

Quality
of Food:

Poor

Trophy
Care:

Poor

Name
of Airline:

Great Lakes, United and Vladivostok Air

Airline
Service:

Good

Airline
Comments:

Vladivostok Air's seats were so close together I couldn't use the food tray.

COSTS

Hunting
Fees:

This included a $1,500 increase we found out about only days before our hunt.

Amount:

$9500

Trophy Fees:

This included a $500 increase we found out about only days before our hunt.

Amount:

$3000

Permits/Licenses:

Amount:

$0

Commercial
Airfares:

Amount:

$3485

Charter Airfares:

Charter bus.

Amount:

$800

Other Costs:

Visa $296. Trip insurance $698. Satellite phone rental $323.

Amount:

$1317

Total:

$0

SUMMARY
REMARKS

Problems
of Hunt:

See comments.

Highlights
of Hunt:

Leaving Russia.

Equipment
Recommendations:

Would You
Recommend This Hunt to a Friend?

No

Why?

See comments. If this hunt had been truthfully described no one would book it.

Seeking any
kind of restitution or other settlement from agent, outfitter
or guide? Yes

If Seeking Restitution, What is Sought?

Return of the hunting fees cost.

ADDITIONAL
HUNTER COMMENTS AND/OR OUTFITTER/BOOKING AGENT REBUTTAL

On 28 Feb 2007 Gary Jones and I signed a hunt contract with Blair Worldwide Hunting to hunt brown bear on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia and paid a 50% $4,000 deposit. The contract states the type of guiding is to be 2X 2 designate, cost $8,000, hunt to be conducted in two man teams and a trophy fee of $2,500.

Prior to this hunt Gary Jones and I had prepared a written list of questions that we wanted to ask Sean Blair at the North American Wild Sheep Foundation Show at Salt Lake City as we knew Blair was going to have a booth at this show. We had asked these questions prior to booking the hunt but we wanted further clarification. Our questions and his answers follow:

1. What type of camp will we be in? Sean said we would be the only hunters in our camp. It would either be a cabin or a wall tent with wood floor. Sean said each day we would go different directions with our guide to hunt. This was not true as there were three hunters in camp and only one guide. At spike camp we were asked to sleep in the back of the tracked vehicle.

2. Would there be a satellite phone and adequate first aid kit in camp? Sean said there would be both. There was neither in camp.

3. What can we reasonably expect to see for number of bears? Sean said we could expect to see 8 to 10 bears a day. We saw an average of two bears a day.

4. What can we reasonably expect to see for size of bears? Sean said we should see 2 or 3 large bears per day. In fact we only saw one larger bear the entire hunt.

5. Would it be unrealistic to hold out for a bear that would square 9 foot? Sean said no it wouldn't and that we should not shoot a smaller bear until the 5th or 6th day. We only saw one bear that would probably square 9 foot.

On July 25 after having paid for our plane tickets and visa fees we received our balance invoice from Blair. We found the price was increased by $1,500 for the hunt and by $500 for the trophy fee above the cost stated in the hunt contract. Sean had encouraged us to book early to "lock in" our price and had even given us a $500 discount for doing so at the time we booked.

When we arrived at the hunting camp on September 3rd the surprises continued. We found there were three hunters in this camp and only one guide for the three of us. According to our contract there was only supposed to be Gary Jones and myself in camp and we were to each have a guide.

On September 11th guide Victor's son Uri and a friend of his came into the hunting camp. They brought vodka with them. That evening into the next morning they as well as guide Victor, the camp mechanic and camp interpreter proceeded to become intoxicated. The party lasted until approximately 4:30 am. Later we were told by the camp interpreter that Uri had been banned from camp by Jeff Blair because of his drinking.

If this hunt had been truthfully described to me prior to booking I would never have booked the hunt. Since this was to be a one guide one hunter 10 day hunt and we ended up with one guide to three hunters and spent four days helping to move camp that left us two days of hunting per hunter.

Subscriber-Written Trip Report On Hunt Rex Hunts

Below is one sample of such a Report which is made available to you FREE of Charge.

North American sheep grand slam, Marco Polo in Kyrgystan, Hangai argali, British Columbia, Yukon, Ontario, Alaska, Mongolia and most Western states.

Physical Condition:

Had knee replacement but climbed ok with guide in Russia.

IMPORTANT
NOTES (actions taken if hunter unhappy with hunt)

Notified Outfitter? yes

Notified Personal Guide?

Notified Booking Agent? yes

Seeking any
kind of restitution or other settlement from agent, outfitter
or guide? no

If Seeking Restitution, What is Sought?

I talked to Jeff Blair and he told me that maybe another hunt and he would consider giving up his commission.

ADDITIONAL
HUNTER COMMENTS AND/OR OUTFITTER/BOOKING AGENT REBUTTAL

I was called day before leaving on hunt and told not to bring rifles. Russia had changed permitting and were confiscating hunter rifles. Told that we could use "loaner" Winchesters with scopes. I was given an iron sighted AK-47 and other hunter an SKSwith iron sight. (Jeff Blair called me and told me about rifle situation.)

Had layover in Petropavlovsk three days to get licenses, at my expense for room and board.

Left Petropavlovsk and stayed two days waiting on helicopter to take us to mountain.

I and the other hunter (Roger Hosfeld from PA) asked to be brought out after 5 days or moved to some other place. We were told that outfitter could not contact helicopter operator. A front came in and helicopter could not come in. After two days helicopter came in and we flew out of mountains to river bottom. Helicopter unloaded us and went to a Bob Kern camp and picked up two hunters. Both hunters had killed a ram.

I started this report in early 2007 and did not finish it then.

When I got my last Hunting Report and read about Jeff and Vladimir mishandling someone else I got mad all over because I did not mail the report in back in 2007. If I had, maybe it would have helped someone else.

Roger booked a large number of hunts with Jeff, according to Roger, and he told me that he, Roger, had been assured that the camp had been set up and the guides were seeing game.

We set up the camp and saw no game except one bear.

Subscriber-Written Trip Report On Hunt Rex Hunts

Below is one sample of such a Report which is made available to you FREE of Charge.

The quality and many virtues of a Russian hunt for the Eurasian brown bear by Tom Rose of Worldwide Hunting Enterprises, Flagstaff, AZ, were extolled to the sky. There would be plenty of bear, and an outstanding camp. It was touted as this ultra luxurious hunting lodge for the communist hierarchy, though in actuality it was slapped together by the outfitter about ten years ago. We had broken toilet seats, a chronic shortage of toilet paper, garishly exposed plumbing, no hot water, poor bedding and bloody cold. The only conceivable plus for the booking agent was his suggestion to bring sleeping bags to augment the sparse bedding.

The cook tried very hard, but how do you feed eight people with one anorexic chicken? Obviously, with the Russian version of Hamburger Helper. Enough said about the cuisine.

Jack and Helen Malloy, Norm and Ruthie Flayderman, my wife Elly and I very much enjoyed the whole hunting experience. Between us, we've had over 35 safaris (25 for Jack) and many other shared hunts and adventures. This most definitely was not a trip for the ladies, not so much because of the hardship, as the terrible and unrelenting, boredom.

There were no bear. I repeat no bear! Asian, Eurasian, or Teddy!

Why did the guides insist on tree stands in oat fields, when they said the bear were feeding on lignon berries in the woods? Also we were expected to shoot after dark with lights. Excuse me, after dark, with lights!! We never hunted with the same guide twice in seven days, and on occasion, it was somewhat disconcerting to see a guide you hunted with yesterday, fallen down drunk today. At times, your "guide of the day", had no rifle, and when he did, it was a semi-auto of military caliber, with jacketed bullets. Not your ideal backup for the supposed big bear.

The worst part of the "hunt", was a long, uncomfortable, six hour round trip to the hunting area every afternoon, and returning exhausted between two and three IN THE MORNING! One morning after falling into bed, the outfitter, his wife, and two interpreters carried on making a racket until at 5:30 AM when I finally told them to shut up.

We tried very hard, we didn't, we were quiet, we hunted hard, and we did all we were asked to do. All in all, it was a major waste of time and an enormous waste of money.

After three months, I'm still waiting for the promised return phone call from the booking agent. Funny, when Tom Rose was selling the hunt and asking for money he was never off the phone. Had he at least been gracious enough to call, I most probably would not have written this letter.

I'm writing at the urging of my close friend Eugene La Sota of New York City with whom I recently "hunted" in Russia (Vologda Region) early September 1999. In over 40 years of pursuing the sport over most of the world, including many in dreary places under dreary conditions, I have never once found the need to complain or "write up" a hunter or an outfitter until now. Maybe by doing so it will be taken as a good turn by some fellow hunter.

Not being a subscriber (until now) and not having an uncompleted copy of your "Hunting Trip Report Form" I'm taking the shorter path of sending a copy of Dr. LaSota's report on the same trip which goes for me too in spades! And that includes the part about Tom Rose the booking agent (Blair Worldwide Hunting.)

I have to take exception to a report that was printed in your newsletter a year or so ago in reference to the same camp we were in. It was shown to me shortly prior to leaving for the Russian "hunt" (a misnomer on that score.) Your report mentioned that the fellow had hunted the area and the camp was that of former Communist times that had been built for the private sporting/hunting use of commissars. Having hunted Russia a couple of times, the earliest in the Caucasus Mountains for tur in the 1970's, I must correct that poor soul and advise that no self-respecting commissar would have given the place a second look. As poorly as the real McCoy were built and maintained even in the 1970's, this place which I found out was privately slapped together in the last decade by the "Professional Hunter" (another misnomer) would have earned the builder a front seat in the train to the most evil of the gulags.

None of us, including the women, expected anything sumptuous. We've all been on these trips in the backwoods for years. This one was truly a rip-off. The party most to blame after Rose and Worldwide Hunting was the Russian "PH" Vladimir Kaplin. Not only was the condition of his camp deplorable, but also the care given to the clients was the most slovenly it's been my misfortune to experience. He should be drummed out of any professional organization that might number him among their members. Even the most simple amenities, like drinking water, ran out. Much of the food was inedible or barely at best. Again let me assure you we were not in any manner expectant of luxurious conditions or gourmet meals; far from it, especially having experienced Russian sporting camps on four prior occasions since the 1970's.

How about a three hour ride to a bear stand (the most poorly built I ever viewed) and the same three hours to get back. There was never one sign of the critters, either. And to boot all the local entourage were equipped with lights of all fashions; white ones, red ones. It would have been a regular Disneyland light extravaganza had the bears the temerity to show their face. In addition to the varying hand held spotlights, a few of the hunters had special rigs with lights mounted on rifles. It did not have the atmosphere of fair chase in any sense of the word and I have to admit I was quite surprised to see their reaction when I insisted on leaving the stand after there was no longer light enough to scope a target.

Sorry that I've rambled off at this length. I really had no intention of even complaining, as I doubt that it would mean anything. But at Dr. LaSota's insistence I've taken a shot at it, much more than I intended. But, once I was off and running I just gave it my all and let you have it full bore! Sorry if I put you to the task of plowing through all this and, if you've made it this far I stand in awe of your patience.

Thanks for your letter and your attempts "to be as fair and even-handed as we can" that are, surely, appreciated.

Here are requested comments for "altera pars."

1. (Bears) "Not available in area" Estimated population of bears in Vologda region (145,700 square kilometers) is about 5,000. Each year there are about 500 licenses issued for local and foreign hunters. In 1998, (statistics for 1999 are not available yet) there were 450 licenses issued and 384 bears bagged (rate of success 85 percent). Same year we had nine clients that were 100 percent successful.

2. "No tracks seen" It is a traditional Russian hunt and is organized in oat fields from makeshift blinds that are built at the field boundary ONLY if there are SIGNS of bears frequenting the field (trampled down or eaten oats. etc). Therefore, sometimes it takes time to get to these fields. So, "no tracks seen" is a bit of an exaggeration.

3. "No game sighted" Hunt is usually at dusk or dawn, or even during the night. Absolute calmness and motionless in a blind is a must. Very often PH hears approaching bear(s) but bear(s) do not go out into the field.

4. Poor food No comments. Tastes differ.

And the last. Last year there were, unusually, lot of berries in forests. That, certainly, affected hunts too.

Outfitter: HUNTREX Company Hunter's Name: John Malloy Hunting Area: Vologda's Region Duration Of Stay In Reserve: Seven days from September 6 until September 12 Date: 9/13/99 Game Bagged: None Trophy given to the hunter: None

Comments: Hospitable people. Hardworking guides. Too long a drive from camp to blinds (2-3 hours away). Adequate food and rooms. No bears or sign of any.

Comments: Guides worked very hard but we saw no bears. Accommodations were adequate to good and the food was good. The staff was helpful and gracious.

Outfitter: HUNTREX Company Hunter's Name: Norman Flayderman Hunting Area: Vologda's Region Duration Of Stay In Reserve: Seven days from September 6 until September 12 Date: September 13, 1999 Game bagged: 0 Trophy given to the hunter: None

Comments: I need the opportunity to reflect on my stay at camp. I was impressed by the kindness and patience of my Russian hunters and the staff at camp.